Life is For the Living
by MissFiyerabaMeponineSherlock
Summary: Modern Day AU Marius starts to notice some changes in Eponine, some worrisome changes. Her health seems to be deteriorating. She tries to hide it, but it's quite obvious that everything is not right with Eponine Thenardier.
1. Chapter 1

**I was watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer and then this happened.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Les Misérables or the characters.**

_Life is For the Living_

_Life is what you make of it. You will not succeed if_

_you believe only that you will fail, you cannot be loved_

_if you refuse, yourself, to let love in, and you cannot_

_truly live when you wish only to die. Life is a beautiful_

_thing and only those who truly live have a part in it. _

_Life is for the living. Vita enim viventis est._

_**Volume I**_

_**Normalities and Oddities**_

_Book I_

_Sunshine and Thunderbolts_

_Chapter I_

_Just Another Day_

It was just an ordinary day. There was nothing exceedingly special about it. The sun was out, shining brightly and illuminating the land, the birds sang their normal songs, the wind blew softly and gently. The streets flooded with traffic, which was normal, and there were people everywhere. It was just another day in Paris, like any other. Everything seemed so normal. Just another day... Of course, appearances can be deceiving.

Eponine weaved her way in and out of the crowd, pick-pocketing what she could. She knew her father was waiting for the money she would bring him, that she had to bring him. She knew that if she didn't bring him the money, there would be consequences. That is to say, she would be beaten or forced to sell her body. She didn't enjoy having to resort to theft, but it was the only choice she had. Anytime she tried to get a job, she would get tossed out of whatever shop or café she had walked into. She wasn't trusted because of who her parents were. Thenardiers just weren't trusted. They were poor, so they were looked down upon, and they stole, so they were avoided. Eponine sighed as she placed the stolen money into the pocket of her ripped jeans. She dusted off her plain black t-shirt before continuing on her way, her hands deftly reaching into people's pockets and relieving them of their wallets and loose change. Her tangled dark brown hair blew in the slight wind, covering her eyes and almost causing her to trip and fall. But she caught herself. A few boys, no older than 14, saw her almost-fall and snickered. Eponine threw them a sharp glare. This only made them laugh more and they walked over to her. She knew they were better off than her, she could tell just by their clothing, which wasn't ripped or out of fashion. She could also tell that they thought very little of her by the way that they looked at her.

"Hey, _gamine_, walk much?" one of them taunted. Eponine, though only 17, was rather tall for her age and towered over them.

"Grow much?" Eponine retorted, looking down at the boy who had spoken.

"At least I don't live in the streets." he laughed. This was so typical of them, thinking that having money automatically made them better. The other boys laughed with him, jeering at her.

"At least I'm not a little boy that's incapable of intelligent thoughts." she snapped. The boys stopped laughing, giving her dirty looks.

"Who care what you think? You're poor."

"Do you have any other comebacks? Or is that all you can come up with? It's pathetic, really."

"C'mon guys, let's go. This street urchin isn't worth it." they turned and walked away.

"That's right!" Eponine called after them, "Go home to your mommies and daddies! They're probably very worried that their ickle boys have been gone so long!" the boys chose to ignore her, though Eponine knew that they had heard her. She smirked to herself and carried on with what she was doing.

She was rather good at what she did. She hated doing it, but she did have a certain skill. Her hands moved quickly and carefully. The bourgeoisie that she stole from never suspected anything, never even realised that anything was missing until they went to pay for something and found that they were missing their wallets. She was pretty smart as well. She did go to school. Maybe not everyday, but when she could, and she did pay attention to what was being taught. She tried harder than anyone else. She had to with the amount of school that she missed.

"Hey Eponine!"

Eponine turned at the sound of her name. She smiled to herself, for she knew that voice. _Marius._ Marius was her best friend, her only friend. He treated her like an equal, which was something that not many people did. In fact, most found it odd that he hung around her. He was of status and she was not. But it didn't matter to Marius. He treated her with respect and kindness.

"Bonjour, Monsieur Marius." she said as he approached her.

"Bonjour, 'Ponine." he replied, using his nickname for her. She loved it when he called her 'Ponine. Only he called her that. It made her feel special. "How've you been?" he asked, "You're a bit pale, are you getting sick?" It was true, Eponine was rather pale and with dark bags under her eyes, showing that she hadn't been sleeping well. It made Marius worry.

"No, no, I'm fine." Eponine replied. "It's just allergies... How are you?"

"Same as always." he replied with a smile. "Are you sure that you're okay?" Eponine's normally hard expression softened.

"I'm fine, really." she said with a smile. "Honestly, Monsieur, you worry too much." she teased.

"You're my best friend, it's my job to worry." he said as he tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ear, causing her to blush slightly. "Now come on, let's go to the Musain. I'll treat you to a meal. You're so thin! When was the last time you ate?" Eponine thought for a moment.

"Two days ago, I think."

"Why didn't you say something? I would have been happy to–"

"Because I should be able to fend for myself." Eponine cut him off.

"Eponine, it's okay to ask for help." Marius said lightly, placing a hand on her bony shoulder.

"I know it is, Marius, it's just..."

"Yes?"

"Asking for help isn't exactly in my nature."

"I know, 'Ponine, but you can't keep going on for days without eating. It's not good for you. Please, let me help you." he said. Eponine was finding it hard to refuse. She _was_ rather hungry, and she was starting to feel weak. Besides, the hunger kept her up at night.

"Maybe just this once..." Eponine conceded. Marius smiled.

"Excellent!" he said. "Shall we?" he asked, offering her his arm. Eponine smiled and took it.

"We shall."

**I hope you enjoyed it! I'm hoping to make this into a rather long story, that's why I'm separating it the way that I am. It's kind of separated like Les Misérables. Please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Les Mis or the characters.**

_Chapter II_

_The Café Musain_

The Café Musain was a small café in the Place Saint-Michel. It had been there for a long time. It was never particularly very busy and was only really frequented by a group of students from the nearby university, a group which called themselves _Les Amis de l'ABC_. The name, of course, was a pun, as ABC is pronounced the same as _abaissé_, the lowly, the abased, the oppressed. They helped the poor in any way possible. The group met in the back room of the café. The back room was quite far from the main café, and connected by a long passage. It was very easy to hold private meetings there. The room had an exit by a private stairway to the Rue Cujas******. The Musain had been there for a long time, longer than most buildings in the area. It was a tall, somewhat slanted building, made from stone. The second floor had a window which permitted a view of the Place Saint-Michel. The letters over the entrance were scratched and faded and really only read _L Ca é Mus in_, but there was still a faint outline of the letters that had once been there. The Musain was very different from the surrounding buildings, which were pretty and new. But that's not to say that the Musain didn't have its own beauty. It was one of those old buildings that are radiant with history. It's white, stone walls told stories of those who had been there in the past. The dents in the floors and walls told of the fights that had taken place there, possibly between inebriated men or women. The scorch marks above the fireplace tell of the time that the café nearly burned down. To merely touch the wall of the café was almost like touching history.

The Musain was once a very popular place, it was always filled with customers and was a common meeting place for friends. But that had changed. Now, people preferred newer restaurants. It is a shame how few people can appreciate the beauty of history, how few people can see past the misleading dull appearance. The Musain was by no means a dull place. The staff were always friendly and upbeat. Despite how empty it was, the Musain was a very cheerful place where one could often hear laughter, especially when the students were there. _Les Amis de l'ABC_ were a lively bunch, with bright ideas and good humours. They often engaged in vigorous debates about the government and various political figures.

As we have just covered, the Café Musain was not a dull place. On occasion, when the students had let it spread that there would be a meeting, the Musain could become very crowded. This didn't usually last very long. Some people would lose interest in what the students were saying, or some would just think them insane. There were always one or two that would stay and join the students, becoming members of _Les Amis de l'ABC._

Eponine glanced at Marius, from the corner of her hazel eyes, secretly admiring him. She loved the way his jet black hair curled towards the tips. _It's getting long,_ she noticed. Her gaze flickered to his vivacious emerald-green eyes, and then to his soft-looking lips. She quickly looked away, fairly certain that she had begun to blush. _He's a very pretty boy, _she couldn't help but think. She was almost the same height as him. The other kids at school often teased her for being so tall, but she didn't care. She would just remind them that she literally looked down on them. Eponine was often picked on by the other kids at school for being poor, for wearing tattered clothing, for having tangled hair. She didn't care, it didn't bother her. But it sure as hell bothered Marius. He would always defend her whenever he was present for the tauntings. He knew she didn't need defending, but he couldn't help it. He couldn't just let them bully his best friend. Eponine appreciated how much he cared for her, it really meant a lot to her. She never told him that, but he knew all the same. Eponine wasn't really the type to talk about her feelings, she never got all weepy, she never really let her emotions show at all. And yet, Marius could read her like a book. The only thing that he failed to notice, and perhaps the most important of all, was the fact that she was hopelessly and irrevocably in love with him.

Marius glanced at the girl he called his best friend. He smiled slightly. She was the best friend he could ever hope for. She was a little rough around the edges, but he knew she had a heart of gold. She always listened to him whenever there was something on his mind, she always comforted him when he was upset, and she stuck by him no matter what the circumstance. She would do anything for him. She was also rather pretty, once you looked past the tattered clothes and tangled hair. Her hazel eyes often changed between brown and green, sometimes taking on a colour that was an interesting mix of the two, and, if you looked directly into them, you could see gold flecks. Her hair was a rich shade of brown, with the slightest tinge of red. She was beautiful. Maybe not to everyone, but certainly to him. She was his beautiful best friend and he cared for her deeply. That was something that Eponine couldn't understand. She couldn't understand why he cared about her, why he enjoyed being around her, why he didn't insult her like the rest. She didn't think much of herself. Her whole life, she'd been told that she was worthless by pretty much everybody. It was hard for her not to believe it, having heard it for so long. She didn't think she was pretty for the same reasons she thought herself worthless. Marius always tried to convince her otherwise, but she found herself unable to believe him. She wanted to, she really did. But she couldn't.

Eponine and Marius looked at the stone building in front of them. The Café Musain. The sun shone upon it, making the white of the stone seem even brighter. A small smile graced Eponine's lips. She loved old buildings, she loved history in general. It fascinated her. Just knowing that the Musain had been there for so long, that so many things had happened there... it excited her. Marius couldn't help but smile, seeing the joy in Eponine's eyes, eyes that were blank more often than not. He had suggested to her on several occasions that she study to become a history teacher. Eponine would always smile a bit at that and then remind him that her father would never allow her to do such a thing, that society wouldn't allow it. _"I'm poor." _Eponine would say, _"Do you really think I could get accepted into a university on a full scholarship? Because that's the only way I could afford it."_ Marius would always respond with, _"Yes, I do think you could get accepted, and with a full scholarship. 'Ponine, you have the top grades in History. I think you could do it."_ And, after a while, Eponine had agreed that she would apply. So she sent off an application to a nearby university, incidentally the same one that Marius had applied–and had been accepted–to.

Marius led Eponine inside and to a table. The only other occupants of the Musain were the staff, and the students. Yes, those same revolutionary students. Marius pulled the chair out for Eponine and she smiled slightly as she sat down. He sat down across from her. A waitress soon came and took their orders. Marius rested his chin in his hands and looked at Eponine,

"So, 'Ponine, your birthday is in a couple of months..."

"Marius, before you ask, you do not need to get me anything."

"True, but I _want_ to get you something."

"You've already given me so much."

"How so?" he asked, confused.

"You're my best friend, Marius. My only friend. You treat me as an equal, as an actual human being. You actually care about me... That's more than I could ever ask for. You have already given me so much by simply being my friend. There is nothing that I want for my birthday, Marius. You have already given me all that I want." she said, looking at him. He gently took her hand.

"I wish that everyone would treat you well."

"I know you do, Marius, and I appreciate that. But that won't ever happen. I'm a streetrat, and everyone knows it. They think me to be beneath them and I don't know that they're wrong. You treat me decently, yet I, myself, am not a decent person."

"'Ponine..."

"No, it's true. I pick-pocket, I've been forced to sell myself before, I'm–"

"An abaissée?" a voice that did not belong to Marius supplied. Eponine looked up to see who had spoken. It was man that looked to be only slightly older than her and Marius. His hair was a golden, honey colour and his beautiful grey eyes were flecked with gold. He seemed more angel than man. All of his features were perfect, almost as if sculpted by Seraphim or some other Heavenly entity. He was tall, _very_ tall. He was thin, but also muscular. He wore a red vest on top of a white, button-down shirt, and black trousers. "Pardon me," he said, "but I could not help but overhear your conversation. Mademoiselle," he said, nodding at Eponine, "Monsieur," he nodded at Marius, "I am Enjolras and we," he now gestured to the group of students, "are _Les Amis de l'ABC_."

**I hope you guys enjoyed that. Sorry it took so long. I've been busy with school, what with finals coming up and all. Anyway, please leave a review!**

****In Hugo's era, the Rue Cujas was known as the Rue des Grés. **


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